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Combine the convenience of a wireless electric vehicle charging station with the safety and inconspicuousness of a manhole cover. This is the vision of HEVO (Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Optimization), and it’s made the company a semifinalist for the SAFE Emerging Innovation Award. Noting the problems typically associated with EV charging, such as vandalism, faulty connectors, and the inconvenience of plugging in and paying, HEVO set out to make charging a car, or a fleet of cars, as simple as parking.

In the model that HEVO is set to roll out in NYC early next year, vehicles simply park as usual over a HEVO station, which is installed underneath the road and protected by what seems to be a manhole cover. Its resemblance to a manhole is not as much camouflage (though it is certainly inconspicuous on the street) as it is form following function. The durable resin cover, rated to 25,000 PSI, protects the unit and all its associated electronics from the elements, and easily gives electric vehicles the alignment and proximity to the wireless charger.